Notts Gymnastics Academy – Wall of Fame

Notts Gymnastics Academy’s Wall of Fame is now open for photo submissions.

The wall is located in our new reception area and is there to celebrate the fantastic achievements of all the gymnasts within the Academy.  If your child has placed Gold, Silver or Bronze at a recent competition, please consider submitting your photo to be displayed on the wall. We will display individual photos or groups where appropriate.

Criteria:

Please state: Name of child, competition attended and Medals achieved
A4 Photo (portrait or landscape)
Colour or Black and White
Individual or Group

Photos will be displayed and rotated on a regular basis.

Please submit your photo stating to the Main Office for the attention of the Fundraising & Social Committee as all photos must be approved before being placed on the wall.

We are writing to inform you that Jack Duggan will be leaving NGA and as a result share with you some organisational changes. 

We would like to take a moment first though to thank Jack for his creative ideas & hard work since joining us. He has successfully helped us to grow our GFA discipline, enabling access to the sport for many new participants as well as launching our in-house GFA competition and tireless work behind the scenes. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

We have been working to recruit for a new Head of Gymnastics For All and we are delighted to announce that Fern Ravnkilde has been successfully appointed to the position. Many of you will already know Fern from her great work as Assistant  Head and we are confident that she will transition naturally into her new role.

In the coming weeks we will therefore be  seeking a new Assistant Head, but in the meantime we are pleased to be continuing to add to our growing talent of GFA coaches, with the arrival of Laurence Bow and Susannah Watts. Laurence and Susannah join us with a wealth of experiences and we would like to formally welcome them both to NGA.

Our GFA discipline will continue operating as usual and whilst gymnasts’ main coaches are the first port of call for any communication, Fern can now be contacted as the Head of GFA, should parents need to liaise with her. 

This is the first edition of the Gymnastics for all (Gfa) discipline newsletter.

I (Jack Duggan – Head of Gfa) would like to thank you all for your ongoing support of your gymnasts’ and the Academy’s development since my arrival in August 2016.

Since August 2016 we have:

• Hosted the first ever Gfa in-house competition which involved over 300 gymnasts
• Re-designed the programme for each block with an emphasis on skill development – read more on About our Gfa session webpages
• Re-structured the Gfa section on the NGA website
• Launched the new Gfa pathway with more targeted sessions
• Purchased brand new equipment for the expanded programme into the sports hall
• Continued to review and update our processes behind the scenes

NGA will continue to

‘Value your input, creating an output to value’.

New entrance/reception

The new entrance and reception area for Notts Gymnastics Academy is nearly ready!

While we are waiting on the finishing touches (safety aspects) I would like to thank you for your patience and the Academy promises good things to those who wait for sure… we are just as excited as you are.

Please keep an eye on notice boards and on Facebook and Twitter for further updates in the fourth coming weeks.

Gfa re-launch

The Gymnastics for all (Gfa) programme has been under construction since September 2017.

Here are some successes since Match 2017 of the initial weekend re-launch:

• Created 168 new spaces
• Spent £20k on new equipment for the sports hall
• Introduced gender specific Gfa sessions (Gfa boys’ and Gfa girls’ sessions)
• Split our younger age group sessions (Gfa 4 – 5 years and Gfa 5 – 6 years)
• Allowed an option of either Skills and development or Display focused sessions for our 9+ years
• Created a rolling programme to allow access to both the sports hall and the main gym

We are looking forward to extending the re-launch to the mid-week sessions in the near future. We will keep you posted.

Watch week

We will be holding a ‘watch week’, where you can come into the gym and watch your gymnasts’ train. This will be every Gfa session on the following days:

Saturday 6^th May – Friday 12^th May

Please be aware seating will be limited. Therefore, we respectfully ask you to keep the number of spectators to a minimum and we will ask for voluntary donations to support the Gfa programme.

Lost property

Lost something recently at NGA? You can find our lost property boxes at the top of the second flight of stairs.

Please only send your gymnast(s) with what they require for the session and check they have all their belongings when you collect them.

We also would like to remind you not to bring any valuables to the gym.

Block fees

Have you secured your gymnasts’ place for the Gfa June – August 2017 block?

Remember the payment cut off is 1st May 2017 to secure your child’s place.

Fees letter have been handed out during sessions. You can also download the generic fees letter from our website.

Dates for the dairy

To all Gymnastics for all (Gfa) session parents,

The June 2017 - August 2017 fees letter are being handed out within your sessions over the next week. Please ensure you receive your letter with your personalised fees on it.

Please note: Fees are required by the 1st May 2017 to secure your gymnasts' place in the June block.

Not got your letter yet? Please download the appropriate generic days' fee letter:

• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Need to transfer onto a different session? Please return the slip on the back of your fees letter asap. You can view the whole Gfa programme on our Gfa session times and fees page.

Thinking about not renewing for the next block? Please return the slip on the back of your fees letter asap.

Regards

Jack Duggan

Head of Gymnastics for all (Gfa)

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Wow…where did my first year here at the Academy go? I would like to take this opportunity to provide you all with an update on the building works, a brief review of 2016 and the direction the Academy is heading in 2017 and beyond.

 The Academy is now the sole tenant of the building and we are in the process of securing an initial, five-year lease with the Council. Since the closure of the leisure centre, contactors have been on site making the necessary amendments to provide us with a new entrance and access to our space, which will also include use of a couple of rooms within the centre.

Building works are due to be completed by the middle of March, however I am unable to provide you with an estimated date of when our access will be made available for use. In the meantime, please do continue to use the stairs and pathway up to our main entrance and feel free to wait upstairs in the hallway next to our offices.

My arrival has coincided with a few staff leaving for pastures new, alongside an influx of talented and motivated individuals who have gelled together remarkably well to create the exciting team that we can all be hugely proud of. The Academy has also grown from within, investing in two promotions from zero hours’ contracts to full time salaried positions, which is a large shift in mind set for any sporting club.

Our coaching team have been supported for the first time in their quest to upskill, with many of the team making use of the new Academy initiative for funding towards coaching courses. Last year saw several qualifications gained at the introductory level, continuing through to the pinnacle of High Performance, which has provided the members with an even greater level of coaching and expertise.

The Academy had enjoyed major success at every level of competition throughout 2016, boasting a European Champion, 2 Team GB representatives in Rio, the Junior British Team Champions, as well as many more medallists at a National, Regional and County level. Participation levels have increased within our Gymnastics for All discipline, providing more opportunities for development at the grass roots level, with a highlight for the discipline being; the inaugural “In House” Gfa competition which saw over 230 members participating.

The growth in membership has also seen the Academy strive to achieve a more conducive ratio of athlete: coach levels, for the participants to fulfil their own levels of potential throughout the various disciplines, whilst creating progressive pathways for entry and exits from each of our sessions/ disciplines.

The careful and strategic expansion continued with the introduction of our new satellite club at the Rushcliffe Arena where participants receive an introduction to the sport before becoming full members of the Academy. Creating a larger talent pool to select from within, is a key priority for the Academy moving forward, whilst maximising the opportunities for all involved to continue loving their time in this wonderful sport.

The Academy has invested heavily on the equipment front, providing our Athletes with a truly world class facility and we are looking to invest again this year to create a useable space within the sports hall. Expansion is needed to offset the increased overheads involved with the sole tenancy agreement, however the new sessions will take place over a weekend, providing extra room on a week night for warm ups and physical preparation to take place.

Charity status within 2017 is a major objective for our hard working and dedicated members of the Board. Discussions and enquiries into the process have progressed very positively and we are hopeful that an announcement can be made during the summer months, resulting in another huge step forward for the Academy.

I would like to finish with a note of thanks to the entire membership and wider stakeholders, whom without your support, the Academy simply wouldn’t be as thriving as it is today. Whilst we are some way away from being the finished article, the team and I will continue to do our very best to continue the positive, upwards trends in each area and service that we provide.

Regards,

Adam Folwell